Robert Kubica wins rally race on return to motorsport

Robert Kubica has completed his first motorsport event since his horrific crash in February 2011.

The Pole competed in the Ronde Gomitolo di Lana Rally yesterday, and dominated the entire event, winning by nearly a minute. At the end of the first stage alone, he was 11 seconds ahead of his rivals.

Kubica’s car was modified for him, with the gear lever on his left instead of the right, to compensate for his damaged arm.

While Robert made it clear that he would prefer to be racing in Formula 1, he is still happy with returning to competitive racing:

"Obviously I would have preferred to come back somewhere else, but this is a more
active phase in my rehabilitation path.
The hope is to be able to return where I was before [F1], and it's already a nice
goal for me. But to be here in Biella is obviously emotional after 20-21 difficult
months.
Let's hope we can enjoy ourselves, without looking at stage times because in the
end it's a matter of re-establishing the way of driving and helping the arm to
recover better.
Having been a driver for 20 years, my body is accustomed to certain things, and I
can feel these things only while I drive, so we'll see."

Not content with a one-off rally, Kubica is expected to race in the San Martino di Castrozza rally next weekend.